Three Arrested After Gang Rape Of Postgraduate Student Near Coimbatore Airport

Three men have been taken into police custody in connection with the horrific gang rape of a postgraduate student near Coimbatore International Airport. The incident has sparked outrage throughout Tamil Nadu.

Police caught the trio after a tense pursuit and a brief exchange of gunfire in the early hours of Tuesday.

Police reports state that the 21-year-old woman from Madurai is pursuing her first-year postgraduate degree at a private arts college in Coimbatore. She had been staying in a private hostel. On Sunday evening, she went out with her boyfriend, who lives in Ondipudur.

The couple had parked their vehicle in Prithvivan Nagar, behind the airport, when the assault took place around 11 PM.

Three men approached and ordered the couple out of the car. When they attempted to escape, the attackers smashed the window and struck the boyfriend with a sickle, rendering him unconscious.

The men then dragged the young woman into a nearby thicket at knifepoint and allegedly raped her.

When her boyfriend regained consciousness around 2 AM, he phoned the emergency helpline to alert authorities.

Police launched an immediate search and found the survivor about a kilometre away, visibly shaken and in a state of shock. She was rushed to a private hospital for treatment, while her boyfriend received medical care at the Coimbatore Government Hospital.

A special team from Peelamedu Police formed seven units to identify the suspects through CCTV footage collected from nearby areas.

Based on intelligence inputs, officers traced the suspects, Guna, Satheesh Karuppasamy, and Karthik Kaleeswaran, hiding near Pattatharasi Amman Temple in Thudiyalur.

When police closed in, the men allegedly attacked them with sickles, injuring Constable Chandrasekar.

In response, Inspectors Arjun (Peelamedu) and Gnanasekaran (Saravanampatti) fired at the suspects, injuring them in the legs.

Police subdued the accused and transported them under tight security to Coimbatore Government Hospital.

Investigations revealed that the three men, originally from Sivaganga district, had been residing in Irukur and working as daily wage labourers.

Police said Karuppasamy and Kaleeswaran are brothers, and all three face previous cases involving murder, assault, and robbery.

Further inquiries are ongoing.

Also Read: Why Is Tejashwi Ashamed Of Taking His Father’s Name?: PM Modi Questions RJD